1. Field
Subject matter disclosed herein relates to an apparatus and method for providing warning of a firearm aimed in an undesirable or dangerous direction.
2. Information
Firearms, such as handguns or rifles, are involved in thousands of accidental deaths or injuries per year in the United States.
One feature of firearms that may lead to a number of accidents is that aiming or pointing a firearm in any direction may be effortless: A user holding a firearm may easily, inadvertently point the firearm toward an adjacent shooter at a firing range just as easily as the user may aim at an intended target in the firing range, for example. Accordingly, many firing ranges, where shooters practice their skills at using a firearm, have strict rules regarding how to orient a firearm at all times. For example, a user inadvertently, even for a moment, pointing a firearm in a direction other than downward or at a target of a firing range may result in the user being dismissed from the firing range.
Handguns may be particularly problematic compared to rifles: It may be extremely easy to wave a handgun in any direction. Unless a user has, over years perhaps, developed careful habits for handling a firearm, a user may often need to apply extra effort while handling a firearm to ensure that the firearm is never pointing in an unintentional direction. This may hold truer for younger shooters or beginners first handling a firearm. However, more experienced shooters may become lackadaisical, careless, or even just tired.
Unfortunately, some users, perhaps because of horseplay or a dangerous sense of humor, may intentionally aim their firearm at targets or in directions that could lead to property damage, injury, or loss of life if the firearm were to be discharged.